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In the mid-1950s, the East Valley looked very different than it does today. Chandler was a town of just 9,500, surrounded by acres and acres of farmland. A drive to Gilbert, Tempe or Mesa was a day's expedition, and Sun Lakes and Ahwatukee Foothills did not even exist then. In fact, the foothills of South Mountain were then a popular weekend destination for families who drove slow miles on a dusty, rutted Chandler Boulevard for country outings.

The nearest hospital was miles away in Mesa, too far if the medical need was urgent. Members of Chandler's Lions Club decided in 1956 that the time had come for a community hospital, and the idea of Chandler Regional Hospital was born.

Building a Community Hospital

East Valley citizens spent five years in their pursuit of a community hospital.  Their first challenge was to find a way to fund the hospital. They decided to follow the example of Casa Grande, where citizens had formed a hospital district, as allowed by Arizona law, to publicly fund the building and equipping of a hospital. In 1959, state officials approved creation of Maricopa Hospital District Number One, a 250-square-mile area extending from Baseline Road south to Sun Lakes and from Meridian Road in the far East Valley to 40th Street in Ahwatukee Foothills. Voters in the newly created hospital district approved bonds to build a 40-bed, $650,000 hospital.

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One final obstacle stood between the community and their goal of a hospital: the state's requirement that they have cash for two years of operations before the hospital opened. Citizens canvassed the community, asking for whatever donation people would give. The drive netted $21,000 enough to open the hospital's doors.

On July 17, 1961, East Valley citizens celebrated the opening of a truly community-based hospital, Chandler Regional Hospital (CRH).

Serving the Rapidly Growing East Valley

Growth in the East Valley exploded during the next two decades of the hospital's history. Two of the East Valley's major communities have their beginnings in the early 1970s, Sun Lakes and Ahwatukee Foothills. The Hospital District went to the voters for approval of additional bonds for construction of a new hospital. The bonds were approved, and in March 1984, CRH opened in a new, 120-bed facility at its present location on the corner of Dobson and Frye roads.

In its new location, CRH served as the base station for Chandler's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system. It became the first smoke-free hospital in the East Valley in 1987. And its reputation for quality care along with the community's rapid growth brought the need for more expansion.

The first area to receive attention was the Family Birth Center. In 1991, a major expansion of the birth center updated the area to include labor, delivery and recovery suites and a Level II Nursery for newborns needing special attention and monitoring. In 1992, the Emergency and Trauma II Center was expanded to meet demand, and a permanent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit was added. The hospital's Surgery Department underwent a major renovation and expansion in 1993.

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In the early 1990s, CRH began considering other ways of serving its community and came to the decision that helping citizens maintain their health should be an area of major emphasis. The hospital rewrote its lengthy mission statement to read simply: "To improve the health of the community."

With this new focus on community health, the hospital opened Chandler Kid Care in 1993, a daycare center for mildly ill children, and began offering free immunization clinics and public health seminars in 1994. A year later, CRH established Healthier Community Councils in Chandler, Ahwatukee Foothills and Sun Lakes. The purpose of the councils was to work with citizens in each community to improve the quality of life.

Expanding into East Valley Communities

Another major hospital initiative during the mid 1990s involved building outpatient health centers in the communities served by CRH. The first of these opened in October 1994 in Ahwatukee Foothills, a rapidly growing community seven miles west of the hospital. Ahwatukee Foothills Health Center provides urgent care with extended hours, outpatient services and physician's offices. Similar centers opened in 1997, Sun Lakes Health Center, five miles south of the hospital, and Gilbert Health Center, 10 miles east of the hospital. These centers were built so that people would have more convenient places to go for health care.

The need for complete cancer care in one central location was another area of concern for the East Valley. In response, CRH built the East Valley Regional Cancer Center on the hospital campus to provide convenient, high-quality medical oncology, radiation oncology and cancer support services. The centered opened in 1996.

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Chandler Regional Hospital came into existence through the collaborative efforts of concerned citizens. Throughout its history, CRH has demonstrated a commitment to partnering with others through the Arizona Healthcare Federation and with citizens through Healthier Community Councils.

In 1998, the hospital came to the decision that in order to continue to grow, it must affiliate with a larger system that shares the CRH non-profit, mission-driven philosophy. After months of considering possible partners, CRH chose to merge with Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), the parent company of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center and Barrow Neurological Institute. The affiliation was completed in December 1999.

Continuing To Serve the East Valley Through CHW

As the newest member of CHW, Chandler Regional Hospital will maintain its focus on serving the East Valley. With the financial backing of CHW, one of the largest non-profit hospital systems in the entire country, CRH is well positioned to expand its services and facilities to meet the needs of its community. The hospital remains non-profit and continues to be guided by a Community Board of Directors, while also having representation on the CHW Board of Directors. In addition, the hospital's Foundation will continue raising funds in support of the hospital's mission to improve the health of its community.

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